Territorial rights and open borders

Territorial rights consist of the right to jurisdiction, the right to resources and the right to exclude immigrants and are assumed to be essential to state sovereignty. Scholars who have discussed the justification of these rights have mostly focused on the right to jurisdiction. Few engage with the implications of such justification for the right to exclude immigrants. This paper argues that the justification for territorial rights cannot justify the right of states to exclude immigrants. Allowing immigrants to settle within the territory does not undermine any of the interests territorial rights are meant to protect. In addition, the interests of current inhabitants do not provide sufficient reasons to grant the state the right to exclude immigrants from the territory that everyone has equal right to in an original situation. State sovereignty is therefore seen as compatible with open borders

Trade and Environmental Sustainability in Cambodia: A Case Study of Rice, Cassava, and Fish

This report, prepared by a team of young Cambodian researchers assembled under the Trade-Related Assistance for Development and Equity (TRADE) project,1 examines the possible environmental impact to result from intensified production and international trade in rice, cassava, and fish.Trade and Environment Sustainability

UNIFEM, CEDAW and the Human Rights-based Approach

Global governance in an era of human rights is beset by a number of unavoid- able paradoxes. One is that as more states are increasingly held accountable for fulfilling legal obligations towards citizens, the same states are also obliged to collude in economic and financial deregulation processes that undermine and challenge both state sovereignty and the state’s ability to protect the vulnerable among their own populations. In this wider context, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) obliges governments to promote, protect and fulfil the equal rights of men and women in their own jurisdictions. In what amounts to the promotion of global governance for gender justice, the United Na- tions Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) plays a leading role within the UN system in making sure gender policies are co-ordinated and main- streamed, and CEDAW is adhered to. Lee Waldorf is the lead editor of this report, as well as some other significant UNIFEM publications. This report will be referred to hereafter as UNIFEM-CEDAW (2007). It will be con- sidered in the context of the recently published UNIFEM Strategic Plan for 2008–2011 (UNIFEM-Plan, 2007)

The East-Central European new donors: mapping capacity building and remaining challenges

In the past decade, the East-Central European countries were provided significant external capacity building assistance in order to help their emergence as donors of foreign aid. This paper aims to map these capacity development programs and identify where they have helped and what challenges remain for the new donors. The main conclusion is that while capacity building has been instrumental in building organizational structures, working procedures and training staff, deeper underlying problems such as low levels of financing, lacking political will, the need for visibility and low staff numbers continue to hinder the new international development policies

Women’s empowerment, HIV and the MDGs: hearing the voices of HIV positive women

"A review of UNGASS report, India MDG findings and feedback from FGD participants brings out that the last 5 to 10 years have borne witness to unprecedented achievements in improving access to HIV treatment. However, much remains to be done in order to achieve the two targeted MDGs. The NACP-III has not been effective in translating the principled commitment to gender equality within the national HIV response into reality. It overlooks the dynamics between gender disparities and HIV and needs to incorporate women’s issues within the national response to HIV. Furthermore, funds and efforts are largely focused on prevention than on care, support and treatment.

Local perspectives on humanitarian aid in Sri Lanka after the tsunami

Objectives: This case study examines the impact of humanitarian aid from the perspectives of local stakeholders in Sri Lanka following the tsunami disaster of December 2004. Study Design: Qualitative study using key-informant and focus group interviews. Methods: Key-informant and focus group interviews were conducted with tsunami survivors, community leaders, the local authorities and aid workers sampled purposively. Data collected was analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The study found that aid had aggravated social tensions and the lack of community engagement led to grievances. There was a perceived lack of transparency, beneficiary expectations were not always met and it was difficult to match aid to needs. Rapid participatory approaches to obtain beneficiary feedback in post disaster settings are possible but have limitations due to respondent bias. Conclusions: In order to mitigate adverse social impacts of their programmes, humanitarian aid agencies need to better understand the context in which aid is delivered. Beneficiary feedback is essential in disaster planning and response so that disaster response can be better matched to the needs of beneficiaries

Synthesis of thematic papers from the series ‘Women’s empowerment in the drylands

Women’s land rights and their importance for women’s empowerment and wider development goals have gained increased attention in recent years. However, gender inequality in land rights in dryland countries and across the developing world more broadly remains pervasive. This is related to discriminatory socio-cultural norms that are found in customary and statutory institutions and practices that differ according to local contexts. In addition, women often lack representation and the authority to make decisions in land management and governance. Against this backdrop, the UNDP Global Policy Centre on Resilient Ecosystems and Desertification (GPC-Nairobi) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have commissioned three new studies exploring the issues of gender justice with respect to dryland land rights, governance and resilience

Hijras/transgender women in India: HIV, human rights and social exclusion

The focus of this Transgender Issue Brief is to summarize the various issues faced by Hijras and transgender women in India by using the social exclusion framework, and to highlight the relation between this exclusion and vulnerability to HIV and other health risks